Sharp Dressed Men

By Gabrielle. Dapper gentlemen via The Sartorialist: Lunch for 25, Edition III.

Have you ever traveled someplace new and marveled at the way the locals dress? Me too. I always study women’s style for my own inspiration, but I also take note of what the men are wearing. That way, I can alert Ben Blair that cropped suit pants and no socks are quite the thing!

When we lived in New York, men took fashion risks. It was completely normal not to double-take when seeing a guy wearing a skirt or brightly colored garb. Slowly but surely, fashion stopped mattering the bigger and bolder it got! Funny, right? In Colorado, men’s fashion was a little more earthy and functional. And in Europe, it seems like men are born wearing a scarf and layers that work in any climate and any setting. I’m totally looking forward to seeing what style secrets Oakland will share with my men! (So is Ralph!)

What are the men wearing in your neck of the woods? More importantly, what do you wish they would wear?!

P.S. — Oscar is developing some strong opinions about style. He had his hair cut on Tuesday morning, and independently of me and Ben, asked the stylist for a faux-hawk. Hearing him request it in French was pretty much the cutest thing ever.

21 thoughts on “Sharp Dressed Men”

  1. My husband is actually braver about what he will wear now that we live in Denver — back in small town Minnesota, he would get teased for wearing anything other than jeans and a t-shirt. I lived in the Dominican Republic for three years, and that taught me to dress up even to go to the supermercado. And guys rarely wore shorts there even in the HOT weather.

  2. The few times I’ve been to Europe (Brussels and Paris), I marveled at the great shoes I saw on all the men. I live in Silicon Valley and I’m not sure that most of the men I see there even OWN a pair of dress shoes let alone know how to keep them polished. In fact, one of my friends only owns one pair of shoes – a pair of Birkenstocks! I spent nearly every minute of my time on the metro in Paris nudging my traveling companion and telling him, “Look at that guy’s shoes!”

  3. Welp, in my neck of the woods (upstate NY) the locals have a style all right – it’s definitely an anti-“style” that becomes a style by default. It consists of Carharts, Duluth Trading anything and RedWing work boots. These guys consider their ‘dress” to be their identity, and they value handy-ness (meaning, they have tool boxes and know how to use them) and common sense. The accessory of choice of course is a pickup truck, but that’s a whole ‘nother universe of conversation!

    I know many men who have ONE TIE and are saving it for their funerals. Amazing. I wish they knew how a little effort in dressing up would elevate them as gentlemen.

  4. Oh – there’s a P.S. We have an older friend who operates his own excavating business. This man wears, every single day, a dress shirt and a TIE! when he goes to work on his heavy machinery. He’s definitely a legend around here, but his effort at a fine presentation makes a very good impression on his clents.

  5. How is Oscar always the superstar out of *SIX* superstar kids?! That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. Preeeetty sure it needs to go in an Olive Us episode so we can hear it too (in case we ever need a faux-hawk in France ;) ).

  6. We live in Salt Lake City where business casual seems to be the norm. There is that small percentage who wear suits, and I often find myself thinking ‘I wish more men would dressed up.’ My husband works for a software development company and left the house this morning in plaid shorts and a t-shirt (both nicely pressed) and Vans. This is totally his style, but I love the opportunities when he does have to dress up and I think he does too, as long as it is not everyday.

  7. I live in Santa Fe, and when it’s time to dress up nicely, men’s clothing is usually hand-tooled cowboy boots, a ribbon shirt or snap shirt and jeans. Older men will wear cowboy hats and bolo ties, too. Men- again usually old timers- will wear large silver and turquoise Spanish or Pueblo jewelry.

  8. if you want to get a sense of oakland’s men style, check out temescal alley when you guys get here. you’ll see a line out the door of the temescal alley barber shop, where the hipster dudes get their fancy boy haircuts.
    http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Oakland-s-hip-and-vibrant-Temescal-Alley-takes-off-3463058.php#page-2
    and stop around the corner for bakesale betty and her fried chicken sandwich which is so famous that it has made it all the way to paris!
    http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/05/verjus-sandwiches-paris-restaurant/

  9. My husband has a wonderful, quirky style when he dresses up and I just love seeing the stuff he pairs (plaid pants with a vintage ruffled powder-blue tux shirt! Paisley tie with a stripey button-down!). My parents are a bit more sedate and his fashion choices always catch them off guard, but I love that about him. :)

  10. Well from the sound of things your men will be well prepared for Oakland! Layers are pretty much a must,it is lunch time here and only 63 degrees! But it could also be 80-90 just a mere jaunt to the other side of the tunnel (read: walnut creek) the Faux. Hawk is popular with the indie kids. as is all styles of jeans for pretty much any age! My husband works for a Fortune 500 company as a senior art director and wear jeans every day. The kids here dress more toward what their musical tastes are… And the adults it is a combo of life style and work requirements but in general it is so Casual, as a New Yorker myself I have been over dressed many a time. Girls and women here wear very little make up, just an observation. I think you and your family will be stylish and fit right in.
    Cheers

  11. For the first half of this week I was in Madrid. Even in 100 degree blistering heat – most of the men dressed impeccably. Beautiful suits – lots of blues. However, in my usual life, I am in a coastal town in Massachusetts where you see a lot of tee shirts and jeans and sneakers, blah. And occasionally whale decorated pants, double blah.

  12. My hubby and I recently went to Paris for work and I kindly asked him to leave the running shoes at home. He works for a technology start-up where everyone wears t-shirts and flip flops. No thank you.

    Actually, he likes to dress nicely and wishes men still dressed like they did in the 1920’s. I adore how European men dress. And I love to see Southern men in seersucker.

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